https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0021768/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_cracked%2520nutsCracked Nuts came out and was produced before the two solo films, however I accidentally skipped over it and am covering it now. After two not-so-good solos I was looking forward to seeing the two together again. Little did I know I’d also get Ben Turpin and Boris Karloff!
This is the most exciting film so far out if their filmography, and is a political comedy made before their more famous Diplomaniacs. The plot revolves around a group of revolutionaries (one of them being Boris Karloff) plot to overthrow the king and establish a new monarch with Bert Wheeler in charge. The reigning king is aware of this, so he throws a game of dice against Bob Woolsey, making him the new king.
This is a movie of two halves, as the duo don’t even interact with each other until halfway through. Supposedly, RKO were testing the waters for solo runs. Bert Wheeler is in a romance with Dorothy Lee as usual, while Woolsey is in a relationship with Leni Stengel. This first half is much better than the solo films they made afterwards.
When they get together, the film improves. Oddly,Leni Stengel and Dorothy Lee are almost entirely gone from the movie after this point.
The highlight is when Wheeler and Woolsey are going over the battle plans, and there is confusion over the town names “what” and “which.” Yes, they’re doing a who’s on first-style routine! A moment where I felt the joy I did when watching The Three Stooges and the Marx Brothers.
The climax is when Bob Woolsey complains about getting shot, so is told he will by stuck in a chair and bombed from airplane instead. The pilot ends up being the famous Sennett silent film comedian Ben Turpin, so he is not a good bomber.
The film was not critically acclaimed during release, but it was one of RKO’s biggest moneymakers of the year. So far, it’s also the greatest by the duo.
